February
3, 2006 - Ape
Escape is back with Ape Escape 3. Fundamentally it's
still the same game at the core but it's faster, more
frenetic and the new content really mixes things up.
If you liked running around trying to capture monkeys
in a net, you're not going to be disappointed with
Ape Escape 3

There's
more to do in Ape Escape 3. It's not a new game, it's
a continuation of the series and an excellent one
at that. It's not every day that a game can repackage
the same gameplay and make it feel fresh. Even though
you're running around with a net and club, the look,
feel and response is more like using swords as you
hack, slash and thrash them around in an attempt to
stun the devilish monkeys to capture them in your
net. You'll have more weapons and gadgets at your
disposal in this version and the monkeys will lead
you through new platform environments while others
will take a more aggressive approach trying to take
your weapons away from you. Anyway you slice it, Ape
Escape 3 is more fun than three barrels of monkeys.

Specter
is in control of his renegade band of mischievous
monkeys. They are in the process of trying to control
the world through the broadcasting of specially created
TV shows that are so mind-numbingly dumb that they
turn human minds into mush. So overwhelming are the
monkeys' powers that they have recruited the last
game's heroes, the professor, Spike and Jimmy to help
them. Fortunately the young brother and sister team
of Kei and Yumi possess the necessary skills and abilities
to round up these out-of-control primates as they
chase them through the sets of the TV studios which
serve as multiple environments.

There
are more than 400 monkeys to capture throughout the
entire game but you they are divided up into the different
environments so it doesn't seem so overwhelming. The
environments include the Old West, a desert, the arctic,
a beach resort and an airport of sorts. Here you will
encounter platform elements as you chase the monkeys
down.

To
keep things interesting, the monkeys have different
personalities. Some are fast, some are slow, some
are devious and some are downright dangerous. The
dangerous monkeys can be equipped with weapons such
as machine guns and laser guns. They will actually
try to take your net away from you and if they succeed
it's game over. You will also encounter specially
themed monkeys that have adapted to their environment
that can breathe fire and sting you with a scorpion
tail.

The
pace of the game is shoved into overdrive. The anime
characters are running around like headless chickens,
spitting out dialog at a furious pace that can be
somewhat annoying after a while, especially with the
poor translation. Controlling your character is done
primarily with the two analog sticks; one for moving
about and one for deploying your weapons. It's a very
good control system that works well despite its simplicity.

The
weapons that you can access can be altered by morphing
into different costumed characters. There's the cowboy,
Marital Arts experts, ninja, knight and an Arabian
with his Genie. The cowboy runs around shooting pistols
while the ninja is more skilled at platforming moves
such as climbing, balancing and jumping. The Arabian
lets his Genie loose to dance in front of the monkeys
and hypnotize them temporarily allowing you the opportunity
to catch them while they are under his spell. Speaking
of temporary, these morphed character forms are timed
with a meter. They drain the meter when used and you
have to build it up again to access other forms. Fortunately
you will be given lots of opportunity to feed the
meter.

Gadgets
are also available to help you track down and capture
these little rapscallions. The RC car will let you
catch up to the faster monkeys by letting you cross
the treacherous terrain at high speeds. To negotiate
large chasms and other pitfalls you can fly across
using the hand-held propeller blade. A hula-hoop of
sorts lets you spin around and do double damage to
anything you come into contact with. There are also
mech suits that you can wear that will provide you
with extra protection and give you the power to smash
down walls and other obstacles. The sheer variety
of weapons, tools and gadgets is what makes this game
so interesting but at the same time you don't feel
forced into using any particular gadget, vehicle,
weapons or device.

Capturing
specific numbers of monkeys in each level will allow
you to move on to the next area. There are puzzles
to solve along the way and you can replay some of
the levels to try and capture all of the monkeys.
Coin collecting lets you unlock tons of goodies. There
are mini-games, movies, artwork and items that you
can use in-game. All you have to do is take your coins
to a store and buy what you want. There's a Metal
Gear Solid-inspired mini-game that features a monkey
in the role of Solid Snake. It's well done and maintains
the humorous spirit of this monkey-chasing series.

I'm
not big on the voice-acting but the music is good,
in a frenetic way. The game never lightens up on the
action and that can get a little tiring after a while.
After a couple of hours of play I had to go and take
a nap. But I pretty much do that after watching a
movie, eating a couple of burgers or talking to my
parents on the phone. The camera angle can get a little
out of hand and difficult to control at times. You
have to use the trigger buttons to access it as the
sticks are used for the movement and weapons so the
degree of control is a little stiff.

Occasionally
there is some slowdown when the screen is full of
monkeys. It's tolerable in any case. The cartoon-like
graphics are colorful and nicely rendered with plenty
of depth and detail. With lots of wacky sound effects,
fast-paced, non-stop action this is one seriously
busy game that is guaranteed to hold even the most
deficit of attention spans.

Features:

Morph
into unique characters to progress through game
levels and discover hidden areas.